The Alfa Romeo GTV6 is a fantastic way to get into the Italian car hobby without spending a lot of money. With its V6 engine, well balanced rear drive chassis and history of racing in its bloodlines, it's an attractive piece for the sporting enthusiast. These coupes are not too hard to come by these days. While many have been beaten to within an inch of their lives, there's a surprising amount of well kept examples out there to choose from. This GTV6 for sale is a survivor that was stored for many years but recently revived to a reliable driver.

1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6

1983 Alfa Romeo GTV 6 With 39,103 Original Miles. The Auto Check mileage has been corrected. I bought the transmission in it, years before I found the car, knowing this was special and the transmission I would want in the car I was going to keep the rest of my life. It is from a Milano Verde with taller gearing and a limited slip differential. The standard GTV 6 transmission does not have a limited slip differential. The transmission was rebuilt by Merritt Carden and features lightened gears. It has a Merritt made copy of a Shankle short throw shift linkage with Hyme joints. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the old transmission, all the synchros were (and are) fine and there were no issues what-so-ever. My mechanic said the transmission was perfect! I put in the LSD with the taller gearing for better mileage as I was going to use the car on road trips. This transmission has only about 1,000 miles on it; it is just breaking in nicely and is superb! Another thing to bear in mind; it is getting close to impossible to find new synchros that are OEM parts and the aftermarket ones are frequently junk. Lightening the gears allows the synchros to last close to forever, if you DON'T lighten the gears, your synchros will not last. With this transmission, you can expect 100k (or more) miles of flawless shifting.

I got this car from the Carden family in the San Francisco Bay Area. It belonged to one of the older brothers but he got to the point he couldn’t climb in and out of it, so it was sitting in a horse barn and needed a complete resurrection which was done properly as I planned on keeping this car for the rest of my life. It had the original timing belt in it with the original hydraulic chain tensioner. There is no question this is a 39,000 mile car. All work was done by Alfaman Jim Cestarolo, whose family still runs Alfa Center in San Francisco and has for many years. I have all the service records since I had Jim do the work and you can talk to Jim. This is not just an average GTV 6, this is a really GOOD car! If you fins another GTV 6 with the same mileage on it that hasn't had all the work that I've done on mine, you will need to put $5,000 into it. All the rubber rots, the fuel pump will go bad, etc.

A friend and car guy I've known for over 30 years, told me this story about when he bought his Jaguar XK 120, "If I'd spent $5,000 more for a better car, I would have saved money in the long run." Again, everything was done as if I was keeping the car and I wanted it all done right. I have put about 1,000 miles on it getting it fully sorted out. If you have questions and want to speak to the mechanic, I will give you his number. He’s in Novato, California.

The good:

It still has the original dual fans and they work. New water pump, rebuilt hydraulic tensioner with OEM rebuild kit and timing belt. Stainless steel brake lines, rebuilt alloy front calipers and steel rear calipers, new master cylinder. Replaced all injector rubber hoses underneath the plenum. All new hoses for the radiator and heater, radiator checked. The clutch is excellent with 98% + of material remaining, the bearing and fork are excellent, new clutch slave cylinder. New center bearing for the driveshaft and new Giubos. New fuel pump and fuel lines. Air conditioning converted to the new refrigerant.

Fresh Michelin tires. 195/60 R 15 XSE, Pilot Exalto A/S. They appear to have less than 2,000 miles on them. There are still some “nubs” from the mould. The good condition leather interior has been treated with Connolly Hide Food. There is one small hole in the driver’s side front seat bolster, facing toward the door, probably from the previous owner getting into the car. There are surface cracks in the leather, but if treated and kept parked in a garage, the seats will last a long time. What kills the leather is lack of treatment and being left in the sun. It has the $200 sunroof handle surround that is machined out of ¼” thick material. The stock ones are all broken, they’re all cr*p. The guy is on the fence about making any more, he may and he may not. I got one of the last 4. The power windows work. There are no dings or chips in the glass. I have the windshield washer tank, although it is not pictured installed. It has a good pump on it. The paint is generally very good with a few chips here and there. There are a few very minor areas of surface rust. It does NOT have the usual rust in the wheel wells. The car has a clean California title and is registered. If the buyer is from California I will supply a recent smog certificate. It passed when I registered it.

The bad:

The left front corner of the car and part of the front around the grill has been repainted. The bodywork was done well but the paint is not an exact match in terms of shade or sheen. (it’s really not very bad) The plastic piece on the top left of the rear bumper that covers the gap, is separated from the center joint piece, (also not very bad). Some of the usual minor cracking on the dash. I have a dash pad for it that also cuts down on glare. It is not installed and comes with the car. The radio is nothing special but works. The car still has the “in the windshield” radio antenna, which never did work even when they were new.

There is no ugly!

The conclusion:

If you buy a car with this kind of low mileage that’s been sitting for 20+ years, plan on having to do everything I’ve had to do to have a reliable car. I have receipts for over $7,000 + plus the transmission which was a $1,500 overhaul, not including finding a Milano Verde transmission to be rebuilt, plus the cost of the car! Everything was checked for reliability and longevity. I have all the repair receipts. I’ve invested between $9,000 and $10,000 in total, to make a car that will give no surprises. I would not hesitate an instant to get in this car and drive from California to New York, or anywhere else on the east Coast. If you want a good one, buy this car!

A good GTV6 will run someone anywhere between $8,000 to $12,000 these days. The opening bid of $8,000 is a bit high and doesn't leave a lot of breathing room for bidders, but given the work done to it, plus the later transmission with the limited slip differential, I'd say this GTV6 would be as good as any if you're in the market for one of these.

-Paul